OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONgeneris wrote:
Project SC Butler: Day 154: Sentence Correction (SC2)
HIGHLIGHTS Because the IF clause in the non-underlined portion contains the verb
persist in simple present tense, this construction is either a Zero Conditional or a Type 1 conditional.
(See below the POE for an explanation.)
Zero conditionals are general truths, scientific facts, results of studies—things that are true
now and always.
If X happens, then Y happens.
Type 1 conditionals are often predictions or warnings.
They describe a real, possible condition and a probable future result.
If X happens, then Y will happen.
We have a Big Hint that this statement is not a zero conditional that expresses a general truth or scientific fact:
If . . . trends persist as projectedThe phrase in bold indicates that the sentence is describing an action that is
expected to take place.
As in: expected to take place in the future.
We have a Type 1 conditional: If simple present, THEN simple future.
Finally, as a very general rule, predictions use WILL and hypotheticals use WOULD.
THE PROMPTQuote:
If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers go out of business rather than continue to lose money and customers to a small number of competitors.
THE OPTIONSQuote:
(A) If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers go out of business rather than continue to lose money and customers to a small number of competitors.
• the verb
go should not be in the present tense.
-- For a Type 1 conditional, we need the main clause to use simple future tense:
will goEliminate A
Quote:
(B) If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers would go out of business rather than continue losing money and customers to a small number of competitors.
• the main clause incorrectly uses
would go. We need
will go.•
would happen is a verb construction often used in hypotheticals -- more on that issue below
•
continue losing? The phrase is okay.
Continue is a verb that can take either a gerund or an infinitive without a change in meaning.
-- I agree that
continue to lose is better in terms of flow. This particular __ING construction weighs the sentence down, but that opinion is a style call you will never have to make.
Eliminate B
Quote:
(C) If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers will go out of business rather than continued to lose money and customers to a small number of competitors.
• what the heck is this
continued word? It's in the past tense. We are talking about the future. Nonsense.
Eliminate C
Quote:
(D) If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers will go out of business rather than continue to lose money and customers to a small number of competitors.
•
will go is correct and nothing else is strange
KEEP
Quote:
(E) If the current market trends persist as projected, the majority of mobile phone manufacturers would go out of business rather than continue to lose money and customers to a small number of competitors.
• same verb problem as that in B:
would go is not correct. We need
will goThe answer is D• ISSUES• conditional statements The word IF is a cue: look for some kind of conditional or hypothetical statement. (IF/THEN, condition/result)
In English, conditional statements use very particular verbs to express different kinds of conditional meaning.
In
this post, here, in the footnote, I wrote a summary of the five types of conditionals.
Each type uses different verbs.
I would memorize the verb patterns.
Conditional statements have an IF clause (or a condition clause) and a THEN clause (or a main clause that is a result clause).
• assessing this sentenceIn this sentence, the verb in the IF clause is a given because it is in the non-underlined portion:
If the current market trends persist . . . The verb
persist is in simple present tense.
The IF clause can be in simple present tense in only two conditionals: Zero conditionals and Type 1 conditionals.
Zero conditional: IF simple present, THEN simple present
Type 1 conditional: IF simple present, THEN simple future
A zero conditional expresses something that is always true—meaning, true right this minute and always.
-- If you mix ammonia and chlorine, then you get a toxic gas. (Just ask me.)
We have a Big Hint that this statement is
not a zero conditional (not a general truth or scientific fact):
If . . . trends persist as projectedThe phrase in bold indicates that the sentence is describing an action that is
expected to take place.
Zero conditionals are true right now and always.
A result that is
expected (anticipated, likely TO happen) is
in the future.-- zero conditionals do not use future tense in the main clause
-- if something is expected to be true, then it is not true right now. Zero conditionals are true right now and always.
We have a Type 1 conditional: If simple present, THEN simple future
Type 1 conditionals are often used to convey warnings, predictions, possible plans, promises, or threats.
Type 1 conditionals state the future result of a present and real (not hypothetical) possibility. Type 1 = a statement made in the present about the future.
If THIS thing happens, then THAT thing will happen.
If this trend persists [as expected], then companies will go out of business.
• WOULD? -- the modal verbs
may, might, and
could can be used in the result clause of Type 1 conditionals to express different levels of certainty (NOT in the IF clause)
-- although
would is also a modal, it is not used in Type 1 conditionals.
-- Type 1 conditionals are based on actual fact and predict possible or likely events in the future. By contrast, in conditional statements,
would is used to express the impossible and the unlikely.
-- as a
very general rule, WILL is used for predictions whereas WOULD is used for hypotheticals
Hypotheticals are IF simple past, THEN would verb
If they were good conversationalists, then I would invite them to the cocktail party tomorrow night.(But they aren't good conversationalists. I'm hypothesizing about a counterfactual possibility.)
COMMENTSgmatway and
chondro48 welcome to SC Butler.
I am impressed by a few of these answers.
Kudos to all who explained well.
Nice work!